29 Dec Language Quiz: Arabic Words with Tough Pronunciation

Arabic, a language spoken by more than 300 million people around the globe, has some heavy sounds that are hard for non-native speakers to pronounce accurately. However, once you master those sounds, it becomes pretty straightforward to articulate all the Arabic words perfectly.

Test your pronunciation to know whether you’re on the right path or not.

Ready, Set, Go!

1) Kahwa = coffee

ka-wa

Ka-h-wa

Correct! The first letter in the word “Kahwa” is known as letter “Kaaf” (with K written as a capital letter) and is one of the letters that doesn’t really have a counterpart in English. It can actually be pronounced like a regular k but with the tongue farther back. Hence, the mispronunciation of most words in Arabic often includes the letter “Kaaf”. Also, it is not to be confused with letter “kaaf” which is softer in sound and written with a small “k”. More importantly, people usually forget to pronounce letter “h” that appears in the middle of the word and that alters the entire meaning of the sentence.

Wrong! The first letter in the word “Kahwa” is known as letter “Kaaf” (with K written as a capital letter) and is one of the letters that doesn’t really have a counterpart in English. It can actually be pronounced like a regular k but with the tongue farther back. Hence, the mispronunciation of most words in Arabic often includes the letter “Kaaf”. Also, it is not to be confused with letter “kaaf” which is softer in sound and written with a small “k”. More importantly, people usually forget to pronounce letter “h” that appears in the middle of the word and that alters the entire meaning of the sentence.

2) Kalb = heart

kalb

Ka –lb

Correct! Same as the previous one, the capital “K” at the beginning of the word never sounds soft so when learners mispronounce it in the word “Kalb”, the meaning changes from a heart to a dog! It must sound like the final sound in the English word “truck” but with more gruffness to attain perfection. Additionally, the pronunciation is of two syllables and not just one!

Wrong! Same as the previous one, the capital “K” at the beginning of the word never sounds soft so when learners mispronounce it in the word “Kalb”, the meaning changes from a heart to a dog! It must sound like the final sound in the English word “truck” but with more gruffness to attain perfection. Additionally, the pronunciation is of two syllables and not just one!

3) Sabaah l-khayr = Good Morning

saba l-kayr

Sa-baa-H l-khayr

Correct! The first letter in SabaaH l-khayr is the sound-mate of the letter “s” but makes a gruff ‘s‘ sound that isn’t commonly found in other languages. To pronounce this letter correctly, you must press your tongue against your upper gum area, right where the gum meets your upper teeth and then make the ‘S’ sound as you should in SabaaH l-khayr.

Wrong! The first letter in SabaaH l-khayr is the sound-mate of the letter “s” but makes a gruff ‘s‘ sound that isn’t commonly found in other languages. To pronounce this letter correctly, you must press your tongue against your upper gum area, right where the gum meets your upper teeth and then make the ‘S’ sound as you should in SabaaH l-khayr.

4) mashghuul = Busy

mash-ghuu-l

mashuul

Wrong! The challenge in pronouncing this word is that it contains one of the hardest sounds in Arabic: “gh”. People have to really train themselves to learn how to pronounce the letter “ghayn”. It is almost a gargling sound produced from the back of the throat. The “gh” sound in Arabic is very similar to the sound of ‘r’ found in the French language.

Correct The challenge in pronouncing this word is that it contains one of the hardest sounds in Arabic: “gh”. People have to really train themselves to learn how to pronounce the letter “ghayn”. It is almost a gargling sound produced from the back of the throat. The “gh” sound in Arabic is very similar to the sound of ‘r’ found in the French language.

5) mu’aal = A Question

su – ‘ – aal

suwal

Wrong! This is a very tricky sound found in many Arabic words. The apostrophe that appears in the middle of the word means that you should cut the word into two parts when you pronounce it. To make it simpler, it would be ideal to pronounce the two parts as 2 different words with a mini pause in between. As an example, the word “butter” in English can be pronounced the same way by dividing it into two parts like bu-‘-ter.

Correct! This is a very tricky sound found in many Arabic words. The apostrophe that appears in the middle of the word means that you should cut the word into two parts when you pronounce it. To make it simpler, it would be ideal to pronounce the two parts as 2 different words with a mini pause in between. As an example, the word “butter” in English can be pronounced the same way by dividing it into two parts like bu-‘-ter.

6) Abu Dhabi

Abu dabi

Abuu DHa-bii

Wrong! To pronounce the correct sound of “DH” in Arabic, you need to put your tongues between your teeth. It is similar to the sound of the “th” in the English word “father”. People tend to find it difficult initially but with practice, anybody can perfect it.

Correct! To pronounce the correct sound of “DH” in Arabic, you need to put your tongues between your teeth. It is similar to the sound of the “th” in the English word “father”. People tend to find it difficult initially but with practice, anybody can perfect it.

7) baTTa = Duck

baT-Ta

bata

Wrong! We need to stress letter “T” in the word “baTTa” because it is doubled and when a letter is doubled in Arabic, it means that we need to double pronounce it or, in other words, emphasize it.

Correct ! We need to stress letter “T” in the word “baTTa” because it is doubled and when a letter is doubled in Arabic, it means that we need to double pronounce it or, in other words, emphasize it.

8) juu:aan = Hungry

jo-anne

juu-:aan

Wrong! The colon in the word “juu:aan” represents the one of the hardest Arabic sounds and does not have any sort of substitute sound in the English language. While it has many possible transliterations, you shouldn’t be surprised to see it represented by the number 3 in some of the words (for example, ju3aan). Most people drop the sound simply because they cannot pronounce it.

Correct! The colon in the word “juu:aan” represents the one of the hardest Arabic sounds and does not have any sort of substitute sound in the English language. While it has many possible transliterations, you shouldn’t be surprised to see it represented by the number 3 in some of the words (for example, ju3aan). Most people drop the sound simply because they cannot pronounce it.

9) na:na: = Mint

nana

na:na:

Wrong! The pronunciation of this word is similar to the previous example and the best way to learn it is would be to listen to a native speaker’s pronunciation and practice incessantly. It is a sound made by constricting the muscles of the larynx so that the flow of air through the throat is partially choked off.

Correct! The pronunciation of this word is similar to the previous example and the best way to learn it is would be to listen to a native speaker’s pronunciation and practice incessantly. It is a sound made by constricting the muscles of the larynx so that the flow of air through the throat is partially choked off.

10) na:am = Yes

na:am

nam

Correct! Learners need to pay attention to the pronunciation as a different pronunciation might change the meaning entirely. It changes from the word “yes” to the verb “to sleep” in the imperative form!

Wrong! Learners need to pay attention to the pronunciation as a different pronunciation might change the meaning entirely. It changes from the word “yes” to the verb “to sleep” in the imperative form!

11) baHr = Sea

bar

baHr

Wrong! The capital H in the word ‘baHr’ is another purely Arabic sound that can be produced similar to a hissing ‘h’. It can be transliterated using number 7 as well in the following way: ba7r.

Correct! The capital H in the word ‘baHr’ is another purely Arabic sound that can be produced similar to a hissing ‘h’. It can be transliterated using number 7 as well in the following way: ba7r.

12) Faransaa = France

Fa-ran-s-yaa

Fa-ran-saa

Wrong! Lots of learners tend to add a “y” before the last syllable in the word “faransaa” for no apparent reason. This could probably because countries such as Germany, Australia & Bulgaria finish with the “-yaa” ending for many words either due to their accents or their mother tongue. However, in Arabic, this is not a general rule and must not be confused when speaking in the Arabic language.

Correct! Lots of learners tend to add a “y” before the last syllable in the word “faransaa” for no apparent reason. This could probably because countries such as Germany, Australia & Bulgaria finish with the “-yaa” ending for many words either due to their accents or their mother tongue. However, in Arabic, this is not a general rule and must not be confused when speaking in the Arabic language.